JUSTIN’S PICK :: TALES DESIGNED TO THRIZZLE HC VOL 2: Michael Kupperman is the finest wit working in comics today, offering razor sharp absurdism that addresses contemporary audiences with an archaic sensibility. If you can read Great Men of History: Bertrand Copillion AKA “The Scythe” without sniggering at least twice, you are certifiably dead inside.

RICO’S PICK :: WINTER SOLDIER #15: We’ve been waiting for this issue for long time, ever since our neighbor Jason Latour told us he was taking over writing duties on Winter Soldier when Ed Brubaker left. Jason and artist Nic Klein begin their Winter Soldier run on this issue and introduce a cool new character, The Electric Ghost. She’s already a favorite of mine and I hope she sticks around the Marvel Universe for a long time. Check out this 3 page preview below and check out the full issue this Wednesday!

SETH’S PICK :: HELLBOY IN HELL #3: The fact is, many times a high profile creator returns to a character they made famous, in spite of publicity, the book somehow doesn’t live up to expectation.  Mike Mignola’s return to drawing Hellboy in this series certainly attracted lots of attention, but it has been far from a let down.  In fact, it’s arguably as good as anything Mignola’s ever done.  You can really see the joy he’s getting out of taking Hellboy in a new direction.  It’s not a rehash of where Hellboy has been before, and Mignola is clearly crafting challenging stories and situations that will only further develop the character.  It’s also worth mentioning the genius-level coloring of Dave Stewart.  He’s long been Mignola’s go-to colorist, but the new setting of Hell has really allowed Stewart to stretch out and use a richer, more varied palette.  These are masters of the craft who are not only enjoying the process of making these comics, but are pushing themselves to evolve their work and the characters they continue to define. 

Bonus Pick of the Week:  I’d be remiss not to mention this week’s debut of our pal Jason Latour as the new writer of Winter Soldier.  All of us around here have long known how hard Jason works at comics, and some of us have even heard about what he has in the works for Bucky Barnes.  Alongside Nic Klein, who may well be the most suited artist to work on Winter Soldier since Jackson Guice, Latour plans to move Bucky forward in genuinely interesting ways.  Ed Brubaker brought Bucky back to relevance, and he’ll always cast a long shadow on whoever else writes the character, but Latour and Klein will distinguish Winter Soldier in ways you’ve never seen before.

KARLA’S PICK :: ADVENTURE TIME: FIONNA & CAKE #02: This is classic! It’s the world of Adventure Time with Finn & Jake, turned completely inside out!! Meet Fionna & Cake! Instead of a boy and his amazing morphing dog, we have a girl and her amazing morphing cat! The antics are similar, but reversed! Plus, it has the great zingers and the beautiful artwork that you’ve come to appreciate from Adventure Time and KaBoom Studios! Plus, if you get here quick enough, you can snag this sassy variant cover by HeroesCon favorite Stephanie Buscema!

In case you missed hearing about this at our recent Charlotte MiniCon, Heroes is teaming with writer Matt Fraction for a special offer benefiting the American Red Cross and their Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.  Fraction wrote a special stand alone issue for Hawkeye #7 that directly deals with the hurricane.  In addition to writing the story, Fraction is donating all of his royalties from the issue to the Red Cross.  That means the more copies people buy, the more money the Red Cross will make.

In conjunction with Fraction and the Red Cross, Heroes is offering a special signed copy of Hawkeye #7 for $10.  As of this writing, there are less than 100 copies still available.  You can stop by the store and reserve your copy today.  All of the money we receive for this book will go entirely to the Red Cross, and each transaction will be kept separate from other store purchases.  Our costs for the book, shipping, and Matt’s time are all being handled by us and aren’t included in the $10 price of the book.  That means all of the money will go straight to the Red Cross and their relief efforts.  We’d also encourage you to donate more than $10 for the book if you’re able.

We applaud Fraction and his work to maintain awareness of the Red Cross and their work helping those afflicted by Hurricane Sandy.  Reserve your copy of Hawkeye #7 today and help us raise money for those who desperately need it.  

KARLA’S PICK :: HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #6: For those of you that KNOW me personally, you’ve KNOWN this day was coming. My pick for this week is He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #6!! Yes, ladies, gents and kids of all ages, He-Man is BACK, and trapped in a world that he can’t remember!! This is the LAST ISSUE of this series, and the title (THANK THE GODS!!) is being picked up for an on-going series starting in April!! I can’t wait! If you grew up raising a plastic sword high above your head crying “By the Power of Grayskull”, you HAVE to pick up this book!! DC is taking one of your childhood heroes, and giving him the chance to be the Most Powerful Man in the Universe once more!

MATT’S PICK :: ADVENTURE TIME #12: I am not a big fan of retailer incentive variant covers. I will admit, I have purchased many of the Adventure Time retailer incentive variant covers offered by Boom! Studios. What does that say about me? I dunno. But I do know the people who create this comic and the people behind the property ARE AWESOME! The eye-catching art and the inventive writing in this book always engages the reader. I look forward to this book every month. I’m a sucker for traditional animation and “adolescent fluff”. You can keep your guns and knives for the newspaper, I want my comics to be happy escape literature. This comic delivers the goods like none other! Adventure Time with Finn and Jake is Totally Math!

JUSTIN’S PICK :: SILVER SURFER BY STAN LEE AND MOEBIUS #01: Out of all the icons co-created by Stan Lee, the Surfer is clearly a mouthpiece. Rescued from throwaway background status, Mr. Lee used the character to voice his own personal concerns and philosophies, acutely so in the story collected here. Illustrated by the late and esteemed cartoonist Moebius, this is an affordable alternative to the costlier (and soon out-of-print, I’d expect) hardcover collection, Parable. And let’s be honest…who doesn’t love a good, old fashioned reprint book?

Honorable mention: Before Watchmen: Dollar Bill. ‘Cause Steve Rude drew it.

ANDY’S PICK :: PRINCE VALIANT HC VOL 06 1947-1948: Here is yet another must-read/must-own classic comic strip volume for the library. Fantagraphics continues it’s hardcover reprinting of Hal Foster’s beloved full page Sunday-only Newspaper comic, Prince Valiant. This wildly successful strip chronicles the life-long saga of Prince Valiant as he struggles between his three major responsibilities– knight of King Arthur’s round-table, heir to the throne of Thule (Denmark) and loving husband to the impossibly beautiful Aleta, Queen of the Misty Isles (Greece). This most recent volume–#6 — is a perfect place to join in on the adventure. It contains two full years (1947-48) of jaw-dropping art by the great Mr. Foster. Our Story: Newlywed Aleta is kidnapped and taken to sea. Val comes to her rescue but not before both ships go wildly off course and end up at Niagara Falls in the previously undiscovered North American continent. It is here that Mr. Foster points out that the history books are mistaken–apparently Virginia Dare was NOT the first child of European descent to be born in the New World. Please don’t be put off by Prince Valiant’s unique format (and silly hair-cut). There are no word balloons in the strip and the narrative text is in blocks in the bottom third of each panel; but, the pace is fast, the action and intrigue are plenty and the violence is un-apologetically bloody. In addition, Foster was a stickler for historical accuracy in depicting everyday life in the 6th century. All together, the Complete Prince Valiant is a genuine treat and it is a steal at 39.95.

SETH’S PICK :: HAWKEYE #7: Aside from being one of the more unique superhero comics on the shelves, this week you have another, even better reason to give Hawkeye a try.  In the immediate aftermath of of Hurricane Sandy, writer Matt Fraction was moved to pen a story about the everyman Avenger dealing with those affected by the storm.  This makes perfect sense, as the book is very much grounded in the actions of an ordinary man facing down big obstacles.  If that’s not enough of a reason to check it out, it’s worth noting that Fraction is donating all of his royalties from this issue to the Red Cross.  That means the more copies of the book that sell, the more money the Red Cross will get to help those in need.  You can buy this book and know that you’ll be making a small difference in the lives of others.  The other nice thing about this issue is that it’s kind of a jumping on point, so if you missed Hawkeye #1-6, you can still read this book and be on the ground floor.  Hawkeye has become a regular sell-out for us, and for good reason.  Pick this one up, read one of comics’ best superhero books, and help raise money for the Red Cross all at the same time.